Preserving archaeological sites in urban space: Problems, risks amd the role of design creativity

In situ preservation and enhancement of archaeological sites in contemporary cities manifests in a most eloquent way the values we ascribe to our archaeological heritage in our cities vis a vis their contemporary and future development.

Even if they are finally preserved, problems of interpretation and evaluation are raised as archaeological sites are often treated as alienated fragments of urban space and not spatial and temporal organic members of the urban body in its spatiotemporal development’ a superficial part in the city and and not a valuable layer of the city submerging to our times

Apart from problems in their conceptualization, archaeological sites are endangered by inappropriate and incompatible ways of preservation, enhancement and management. Three major incompatibilities are discerned.
a) Archaeological sites treated as objects devoid of their reference to the whole.
b) Archaeological sites as ‘picturesque’ and decorative places
c) Archaeoloctial sites as sites for exercising architectural styling

Avoiding the problematics of archeological sites in terms of both their conceptualization and their actual treatment by incompatible to their identity methods of preservation, does not necessarily lead to their appropriate design and management. A creative interpretation beyond analysis, although based on it, is needed which can only be implemented through architectural design based on thorough documentation, and insightful interpretation of both the established principles for the preservation of monuments and the identity of the particular monument we design for.

vgan@central.ntua.gr